The Second Son
by Thaliona
Summary: In 1937, a stone sarcophagus, unmarked and empty, is found by pure chance in the deserts of Egypt far from any known burial ground. Like so many other things, it should have been left alone. While in 2006, what could not be in 1937 has a chance.


AN: This was the product of me stumbling onto The Mummy Returns late last night (or early morning if you prefer) and a friend convinced me to put it up. If it doesn't already make sense it will eventually if I continue. Reviews are much appreciated and are catalysts for more chapters. 3

Disclaimer: Do I really even need this?

**2006 Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii**

"I'm tired so no."

"Oh, come'n, you're never in town and you slept on the flight!"

"Barely and my answer is still no so just get over yourself."

"You owe me."

"For?"

There was a silence on the phone as the voice that had just been pleading gave a quick bark of a laugh that was enough of an answer for the groggy no longer quite so young woman.

"...not cool...fine..."

"See you at seven then. You know you love me."

"...oh...my love for you burns like an eternal flame..." Despite the clearly half-falling asleep tone, sarcasm dripped from the words. Before the other woman could say anything, Eden snapped the cell phone shut before carelessly tossing the phone across the room not really caring that it skid across the floor only to slam up against the white washed wall of her bedroom. The much abused phone had received far worse damage than that.

At twenty-nine Eden could feel the sands of time slipping through her hour glass and it wasn't a pleasant sensation. One day not too far off in the future she'd wake up with crows feet at the corner of her eyes and grey streaked through her hair. So, perhaps not too soon but it would happen much sooner than she'd like. Then what would she have other than a formerly beautiful home inherited from her parents and a job that exhausted her to the brink of passing out on a day to day basis? Not much was the deslote answer Eden couldn't hide from much longer.

In the silence of the bedroom that also coupled as her dark room, Eden stared at the ceiling as if it were the map of\ her life and somewhere she'd see where exactly it was she'd stepped off the path to sucessful happiness. She rolled off the couch that served as her bed and shuffled over to where the latest pictures of her most recent journey hung to dry. These were her own personal pictures. What she sold to Archaelogy Magazines and other such venues were all digital and for that she had the love of her life Sony, neatly tucked away in his laptop case next to her couch-bed, to clean up among other things.

Anubis stared at her through the film and bloodshot eyes gazed over the mighty visage of the looming statue with a sense of wistful contempt. Perhaps it was petty for her to be jealous of the immortality of an inanimate object but Eden was envious the stone for defying time. She turned her back on the photographs, ran a calloused hand through her tangled mass of unnaturally blonde hair and stumbled her way back to the couch.

Once upon a time Eden used to dream in this room, vivid dreams of great things. That was back when she believed in things like Santa Claus and G-d. Things change and very rarely for the better.

It was a little after three o'clock in the afternoon. Her body didn't agree but alas she was expected to be social in less than four hours. Chapped lips pursed like she had a unpleasant taste on her tongue but blowing off Renee along with the rest of her friends, which still amazed her that she had them, wasn't really an option.

At least she still had those four hours to try and feel human again. Egypt's sand was still beneath her fingernails.

**1937 London, England**

"So what exactly is she and what should I call her?"

"Oh, well, Alex I suppose you could just call her Wren and she's my cousin so that makes her your second cousin."

"And she's never been to London before? Ever?"

"No, never, so we have to be careful that she doesn't-"

Jonathan placed an arm around Alex, winking at the boy, "-get too city shocked and stumble in front of a bus. Nasty business that would be." Evie shot him a glare and straightened the collar of her son's shirt who took the fussing with a snort and a drawn out 'mom'. "I was only kidding Evie, don't look at me like that."

Evie huffed, wringing her hands nervously and looking very much like an unsettled bird, "We just shouldn't joke about Wren getting hit by a bus is all because-"

"Because she might just?" Alex offered helpfully much to the amusement of his uncle who fought to keep from grinning.

"Alex!"

"Lighten up Evie, Wren won't get hit by a bus. We'll make sure of it, won't we Alex?" Jonathan had one arm around his sister and the other again around his nephew. "We'll have a jolly good time with the ole' kin. You haven't read from any books as of late and I haven't come across anything of interest recently so what could happen?"

The three of them stood in front of their home waiting for the arrival of Ms Hollingberry. She was already an hour late and Evie was starting to fear the worse. "Do you think..." Evie bit her lip, coming up with all sorts of scenarios that could have befallen her naive cousin.

"After everything he's had to deal with, I'm sure your husband can handle picking up our cousin from the train station."

Before Evie could reply, Rick's car pulled up into the driveway and before the car was even parked Evy rushed the passanger door which was slowly opening. Wren Hollingberry slipped out of the car and into her cousin's embrace with only a slight stumble. "Hullo Evie," The smaller but still rounder woman chirrped like the bird she was named after, a broad grin near splitting her face in two, "you look worried. Is everything alright?" Wren pulled away, still with her calloused hands on Evy's shoulders, and tilted her head to the side in question of her cousin's strained expression.

"No, no everything's fine. Rick will get your bags, won't you Rick?" She glanced over to her husband who nodded with a tight smile, "And this is Alex," Evie ushered her cousin over to her son, giving him a stern look to remind him to be polite. The boy stared at his second cousin, trying to make the encounter interesting by looking for features that she and his mother shared. As he shook her hand, only to be followed by being pulled into a nearly suffocating hug, Alex decided the only similarities between the two women were their eyes. Where his mother was slender, Wren was almost the shape of an hourglass but that didn't save her from being plain. Her face reminded him of a baby's which was odd considering she was thirty one but the openness of her face were mirrored in her eyes creating a sense of innocence. He was only twelve but Alex felt like he knew more about the realities of life than his second cousin did and sadly Alex wasn't wrong to think that. "Let's go inside, you must be hungry. How was the trip?" The cousins walked closely together into the home with Alex trailing besides Wren, fascinated by how young she seemed and no longer surprised that his mom was worried about her safety as the woman went on about the wonders of London that were commonplace to him.

While the two women caught up, Jonathan sauntered over to Rick, "So what do you think of cousin Wren?"

Rick looked up from the luggage he was dragging out of the back of his car, "She's nice..." He paused to heave a heavy sigh, "but I think I prefer mummies."


End file.
